Lost RNF Twinzer '96er: Twin-Fin Speed Without the Squirrely Feeling

What Is the Lost RNF Twinzer '96er?

It's the RNF '96 — Lost's best-selling fish shape — with a twin-fin-plus-canard cluster built into the tail. Matt Biolos took what he calls "the most understood, predictable, well-distributed model" in Lost's history and paired it with a fin concept that's existed on the underground fringes of surfing for about 40 years: a twin fin with a small forward canard fin that helps hold the water and engage through turns.

Biolos didn't stop at the canards. He added a small rear trailer fin too, which is why Lost calls the full setup "Twinzer+." In his own words, it adds "a little more grip, a little more power, and a little more predictability to a twin fin" — while keeping the loose, fast feel that makes a twin fin fun in the first place.

The shape changes are subtle on purpose. The hip is a touch wider to make room for the extra fin boxes, which also makes the board a little more playful in smaller surf. The nose is a little wider to match, for more drive through the center. The tail keeps its release, "kind of like the Pisces," as Biolos puts it — but the 12" tail width and the rocker are the same as the RNF '96 you already know.

Where Does the Twinzer+ Fin Concept Come From?

It's not a new idea — the canard-plus-twin fin cluster has real competitive roots going back to the late 1980s, credited to Will Jobson. Twinzer setups have popped up on and off in surfing ever since, mostly on small-batch, backyard-built boards rather than mainstream production models. Biolos has said his own interest got a jolt in 2020, when he started noticing the run of Twinzer builds fellow shaper Stu Kenson was posting — enough to make him want to try building his own.

Rather than build it on an unproven shape, Biolos put it on the board with the longest track record in Lost's lineup: the RNF '96.

Who Is the RNF Twinzer '96er For?

This board is built for the surfer who's curious about twin-fin speed but worried a plain twin will feel too loose underneath them. If you already ride (or have heard good things about) the standard Lost RNF 96, this gets you twin-fin looseness without starting over on an unfamiliar shape.

It also fits riders who've tried a twin fin before and felt it slide out from under them — that's the exact problem Biolos built this setup to solve. Early test versions of the canard box felt loose to riders used to more hold, so a trailer fin was added specifically as what Biolos calls a "safety net."

And it fits riders who like options. Because the canards and trailer fin all ship in the box, you can run it as a pure twinzer on small days, add the trailer when it gets punchier, or ride it as a straight 2+1 — the same board adapting to how you want to feel that session, not a board you'll trade in once your preference changes.

What Sizes Does It Come In?

The RNF Twinzer '96er runs 5'2" to 6'4", in two constructions. The dimensions below are confirmed manufacturer specs, pulled directly from current listings.

We carry the RNF Twinzer '96er across this full size range, in both Black Sheep and Lightspeed II construction. Want a size or construction combination we don't have on the floor? We can place a custom order.

What Size Should I Get?

We don't recommend a size by weight alone — there are too many variables, from how you ride to the waves you surf most. The evidence we have from real testers gives a starting point, not a formula. Test rider Joel Bishop rode the 5'10" x 20.5 x 2.53 (34.1L) and called it a versatile all-rounder for small to bigger days. A lighter or newer rider on the same fin setup will feel it differently than an experienced surfer pushing hard on rail.

Send us your height, weight, current board, and the waves you ride most, and we'll point you to the right length and construction.

How Is It Built?

The RNF Twinzer '96er comes in two constructions: Black Sheep and Lightspeed II. Both are EPS foam and epoxy builds, not traditional polyurethane/polyester.

Both are EPS/epoxy builds, so both repair the same way — see below.

How Does the Twinzer+ Fin Setup Work?

The board runs a 5-fin Futures box — two standard twin boxes, two forward canard mini-boxes, and one rear trailer mini-box. Every board ships with basic plastic canard and trailer fins — the same simple style Lost's used for decades — so you can pair them with a performance twin fin you already own and try any configuration right away.

There are three ways to ride it. Pure twinzer: twin fins plus the two canards, no trailer. Straight 2+1: canards and trailer, no extras. Or the full Twinzer+: all five fins in. Biolos designed it so you're not locked into one feel.

Test rider Joel Bishop, who rode the board at a wave pool, described the Twinzer+1 setup as riding like "a combination between a thruster and a twin plus one" — the best of both. He ran it with just the canards and twin when the push was light, then added the trailer as the waves picked up. His best turns of the session, though, actually came running it as a pure twinzer with no trailer at all — not what he expected, but it worked.

The canard boxes are a newer, smaller fin-box type than a standard Futures box — built specifically for this cluster, not interchangeable with a regular twin or thruster fin. Every board ships with molded plastic fins sized for these boxes, so you're ready to ride any of the three setups right out of the box, no separate purchase required.

Fin choice here is about style — twin, canard, or the full cluster — not about length or rake, which is a personal call best made in person. The stock plastic fins get you riding, but most surfers who commit to this fin setup upgrade to the Futures Twinzer+ Mayhem fin set designed with Biolos — the full 5-fin cluster built in fiberglass, with noticeably more push and flex than the basic plastic fins in the box.

Shop fins at Hawaiian South Shore

What Waves Does It Handle Best?

Small, gutless days up through bigger, punchy surf — with the fin setup adjusting the feel as conditions change. On soft, small days, running it as a pure twin keeps it loose, fast, and easy to whip around. As the surf gets more powerful, adding the trailer fin gives it more hold and control without losing the speed.

Joel Bishop called it easy to ride from the first session, saying it worked well for anything from small beachy days to solid, pumping surf. He noted it paddled and caught waves early, and that it never felt unpredictable, even when he was pushing hard through turns.

RNF Twinzer '96er vs. the Standard RNF 96

Same shape, different fin setup — not a rival board, and not a replacement for the standard RNF 96. The standard RNF 96 is Lost's proven, do-it-all fish, ridden by pros like Mason Ho, Crosby Colapinto, Ian Crane, Cole Houshmand, and Yago Dora, running a 3-fin box (Futures or FCS II) that most riders set up as a 2+1 — bigger side fins with a smaller trailer — though the same box also rides as a straight thruster. The RNF Twinzer '96er takes that same rocker and outline and swaps in the twin-plus-canard cluster for riders who want to explore twin-fin speed without giving up the shape they already trust.

Think of the decision as "which fin feeling do you want," not "which board is better." If you want the setup you already know, the standard RNF 96 is right there. If you're curious about twin-fin speed, this is the lowest-risk way to try it.

This board is also a different fin concept from the Firewire Stu Kenson Twinzer — read the Twinzer fin concept's origin story for that history. Same underlying idea (a canard-plus-twin fin cluster), applied to two different shapes from two different brands — not the same board.

How Do I Fix a Ding?

Use epoxy-based repair materials only. Black Sheep and Lightspeed II are both EPS foam and epoxy builds, and standard polyester resin — the kind in most basic ding repair kits — can react with EPS foam and make the damage worse. Always check the label and make sure it says epoxy.

For a small surface scratch, an epoxy-specific ding repair kit will do the job. For anything deeper than a surface scratch, take it to a shop that handles epoxy and EPS boards, or bring it by Hawaiian South Shore and we'll point you to the right repair.

What Do Riders Say?

Independent reviewers who've actually ridden the RNF Twinzer '96er confirm the same things, from different angles. Riders across multiple test sessions describe the same core experience: more forgiveness and hold than a plain twin fin, without losing the speed, and turns that project more cleanly out the other side. One tester noted the board still paddles and catches waves easily, with a slightly deeper concave through the tail adding a touch more lift.

The consistent starting-point advice across testers: begin with the full fin set (canards, twin, and trailer) to get a feel for the board, then experiment with pulling the trailer for a looser, more pure-twinzer feel once you're comfortable.

Watch Matt Biolos Explain the Twinzer+

Matt Biolos walks through the design intent, the fin development with Futures, and how the Twinzer+ setup rides. Everything attributed to Biolos in this guide comes straight from this interview.

Watch the full Matt Biolos Twinzer+ interview →

Frequently Asked Questions